Will Power won the pole for the eighth time at St. Petersburg and has given the Team Penske IndyCar effort a boost in its season debut. Penske drivers have dominated racing of late and have won the last two NASCAR races. The first three rows for the IndyCar season opener went to Penske,

Kurt Busch's first season with Chip Ganassi Racing has produced back-to-back top-five finishes at Atlanta and Las Vegas. There is hope that the short track in the Arizona desert can help all the Chevrolet teams close the gap with Ford and Toyota.